Latest news with #Garofolo
CBS News
09-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Poll workers are needed for the upcoming mayoral primary election in Allegheny County
You may want to text this to them if you're the parent of a student in Allegheny County. The division of elections is now accepting applications for the student poll worker program ahead of next month's mayoral primary on May 20. Jessica Garofalo said Allegheny County had a student poll worker program for decades. A lot of people didn't know about it until recently though. "Our poll worker population was declining and people were really aging out." Garofolo, the Allegheny County Director of Administrative Services, said. "In 2021, we really started to promote it and we saw 100." Last year's general election saw big gains, but Garofolo said the primaries will be difficult. "I think in 2024, we had the most at 261 students from 30 different schools," Garofolo said. "We're competing with prom, and spring sports, and graduations, and things like that." Garofolo said meeting last year's student number would be ideal. That's out of about 6,000 workers they need to make everything go well on Primary Day. "Right now we're sitting at about 5,000 poll workers spread across the county," Garofolo said. High school students enrolled in Allegheny County are eligible, but they have to be at least 17 years old. "We also ask for parental or guardian consent, and then consent from your school district," Garofolo said. The max of $170 for the day includes $20 for training, and a full day of volunteering isn't required. "They can also take a half day," Garofolo said. "They can work from 6 to 1 or 1 to 9 and earn $75." Garofolo says the Elections Division sent letters to all of the county's schools. "We typically target any civics instructors, [or] government instructors," she said. "We'll also send the informational packets out to guidance counselors." Garofolo said getting involved is a great way to see the electoral process and learn about it. "They can see what it takes to open up a poll," she said. "They can engage with their community that's coming in to cast their vote throughout the day."
CBS News
10-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Proposed Maryland bill would prevent dredged material from being stored in overburdened communities
BALTIMORE -- Maryland lawmakers have proposed a bill that could prevent the state's port administration from storing dredged material from the Baltimore Harbor in already overburdened communities. In June 2024, Anne Arundel County residents complained about the environmental impacts of the Maryland Port Administration's planned confined aquatic disposal project. Residents say this proposed bill is needed to protect their waterways for decades. "We're very concerned about that being dumped into the water, right near our homes," said Stoney Beach resident John Garofolo. What would the proposed bill accomplish? Senate Bill 168 – the Environmental Justice in Confined Aquatic Disposal Act – aims to prevent the construction of confined aquatic disposal (CAD) cells within five miles of a residential overburdened community. "The state and other businesses keep dumping environmentally contaminated material in their area, and this would protect them from that," said Sen. Bryan Simonaire. Sen. Simonaire sponsored the bill after residents expressed concern about the port administration's plan to build a CAD cell on the Patapsco River less than a mile from their homes. "The communities that are overburdened already don't want to be the testbed for the state to see if it's going to work or what kind of adverse environmental impact it'll be," Simonaire said. If passed, the bill would go into effect on October 1, 2025. What is CAD? CAD involves digging a hole on the river floor in order to store the hazardous dredged material from the Baltimore harbor. Garofolo, and other residents, fear this would bring more contaminants to their already overburdened community, after decades of pollution from surrounding industries. Garofolo testified in favor of the bill at the Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee hearing on Jan. 28. "The existing pollution has had overwhelming impacts to our health, employment and businesses, the Patapsco is not a resource to be exploited nor are its communities," Garofolo said. Life-long Pasadena resident and boater Carl Treff also testified. "As a resident, a recreationalist, an environmental steward of the Patapsco River, I cannot fathom in this era of bay restoration, how mining and destroying the bottom of our river is a good idea," Treff said. MPA provided the following statement to WJZ: "The Maryland Port Administration (MPA) is currently facilitating the state's evaluation of a dredged sediment management option known as confined aquatic disposal under the statutory framework of the state's Dredged Material Management Program created by the Maryland General Assembly." "The evaluation of contained aquatic disposal is an ongoing process that will continue to involve a comprehensive subcommittee formed by the MPA that includes outside stakeholders including local communities." "Part of this process is to fully understand the complete technical, environmental, socioeconomic, and community impacts of confined aquatic disposal. Prioritizing environmental justice is a core component of the subcommittee's focus." "We understand the concerns that have been raised and will make sure that as the process continues, it does so while continuing to be transparent and inclusive. We believe that a ban as proposed in this bill is premature, and circumvents the important work being done by the subcommittee."
Los Angeles Times
30-01-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Huntington Beach Sports Hall of Fame inducts first class this weekend
A long list of athletes, coaches, sports media members and others have made their mark in Huntington Beach over the years. For all of that talent, Surf City hasn't really had a place for them to be collectively enshrined. Until now. The newly created Huntington Beach Sports Hall of Fame will induct its first class on Sunday afternoon at the Huntington Club. The inaugural class includes Hall of Fame football tight end and Huntington Beach High graduate Tony Gonzalez, as well as Ed Arnold, longtime broadcaster at KTLA and KOCE at Golden West College. Huntington Beach resident and former pro basketball player Ann Meyers Drysdale, former world surfing champion Peter 'PT' Townend, longtime Golden West College women's volleyball coach Albert Gasparian and members of the 2011 Ocean View Little League team that won the Little League World Series will also be enshrined. 'I think it's a really good class,' said Ryan Broccolo, a Huntington Beach native and sports marketing professional who is on the Huntington Beach Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors. 'We're excited. I think it's a good representation of the city in multiple sports.' The Huntington Beach Sports Hall of Fame has been a passion project for Dave Garofolo, the Hall of Fame's executive director and former mayor of Huntington Beach. He said he started building the Hall of Fame in 2023, when Tony Strickland was mayor. Strickland, a former college basketball player, is also part of the board that selected the class, along with legendary swim coach Mark Schubert and acting Golden West College Athletic Director Tim Bremen. Garofolo said he wanted the Hall of Fame to include more than just players, and he worked with an advisory committee including Huntington Beach Union High School District athletic directors to create a list of 200 candidates. 'We're also including deserving coaches, media,' Garofolo said. 'A team is hard to do because of the cost of the awards, but we'll always honor a team as exceptional as the 2011 Ocean View team.' Garofolo said he hopes to hang the Huntington Beach Sports Hall of Fame plaques in the Central Library, with a new class being inducted each year. Former Los Angeles Dodgers infielder and recent U.S. Senate candidate Steve Garvey will serve as the event's emcee, along with his daughter, Olivia Garvey, a sports anchor at NBC 4. Limited tickets are available for Sunday's ceremony at the Huntington Club, which runs from 2 to 4 p.m., and the reservation deadline is Friday at noon. A $60 donation per person is requested. For reservations and information, email HBNews1@ or call (714) 914-9797.
